Chapter 57: The Trash of House Tovel
Kiran sighed heavily as he hurried out of his final class, his shoulders slumping with exhaustion.
The day had been particularly grueling - starting with Runic Theory at dawn, where Elder Pane had spent three hours drilling them on the precise angles needed for advanced defensive runes.
That was followed by Resonance Control, where they'd practiced maintaining multiple energy channels simultaneously until half the class collapsed from strain.
After a brief break for lunch came Combat Applications, which always left him with new bruises despite his best efforts to avoid direct confrontation.
Then, there had been Celestial Studies, where they endlessly dissected the meaning behind every subtle shift in the red sun's light. At least in that class he could sit quietly and take notes without being called upon to demonstrate his inadequate abilities.
But worst of all had been the final class - Spiritual Resonance.
Elder Aria had made them sit perfectly still for four hours, maintaining their connection to the red sun while she critiqued their posture and breathing. Three students had passed out from the strain, and one poor soul had started bleeding from his eyes when his resonance slipped.
The academy's healers had rushed him away, but everyone knew what happened to initiates who showed signs of instability. The Failure Garden would likely have a new addition by morning.
"And now I have my own practice to do," Kiran muttered to himself, rubbing his temples where a headache was forming.